They Call Her Darling
by LoveAlwaysKaity
Summary: "I'm the wild card in the game." She spoke crisply. "I'm Wendy. Wendy Darling."
1. Chapter 1

THEY CALL HER DARLING  
CHAPTER ONE

* * *

The air was sticky against her skin as she ran. Her hair was falling in her face and luckily for her, she didn't need to see to know where she was running. She had been an outlaw on this island long enough. Every soiled path was memorized with all the nooks and crannies hidden in between. This whole island was a trap that she would not fall prey too.

She had heard the screams and right away she knew that they were not just any screams. In fact they were the screams of an adult. She had been here long enough to know a voice she didn't recognize, especially one that was a bit deeper and more desperate. At first it had only been a faint whisper, a sound she had only heard in her dreams. But when she heard the cry, she knew not only was it a cry of an adult but a non-believer either. Her heart carried a heavy pang of pity. If only people wouldn't be so blind.

But it didn't matter now. Instead she had to find the other voice she heard; the voice of a child.

* * *

All he can think is _the echo caves_, _the echo caves_, _just a little bit closer until you reach the echo caves_. He's terrified yet oddly excited all at the same time because he's being chased by the Lost Boys. The lost freaking boys! You know, the ones that people told him weren't real but he knew better. He had always known better than people who had turned a blind eye when it came to magic.

A small smile curves his lips and his dark waves stick to his forehead. He looked straight ahead of him, doing his best to follow the trail that this former lost boy was guiding him down. He felt adrenaline pump through his veins and boy did he have questions and lots of them. The first one probably was how he escaped the infamous Peter Pan and managed to stay alive…for who knows how many years. Then he wanted to know this boy's name. Had he ever encountered a fight with pirates? Were mermaids evil just like he thought them to be or were they more like Ariel from Disney's version of the Little Mermaid? And he definitely wouldn't forget to ask how long he thought he had been here in the first place.

Neverland may be like one of the inner circles of hell but he felt as if this was some wicked cool school field trip.

His feet skidded to a stop as they reached the side of a cliff. "Watch out!" He called out, lifting his hand up to further his command.

This should be the point where he should be panicking because for all he knew this would be where they'd get captured and skinned alive. Taking deep breaths, he looked down at the drop. If only they could fly, then this wouldn't really be such a roadblock.

"What do we do? Is there any other way to the echo caves?" He asked clear panic in his voice. Looking up at the boy who at least had a couple feet on him, he hoped eagerly that some idea of escape would be presented before him. However all he saw was a brief spark of panic in his shiny green eyes, as his sandy hair looked a little disoriented.

"No! We're done for."

_Just think Henry_. He thought to himself. _This is Neverland for crying out loud!_

"I'll give them the pixie dust and they'll let us live." The nameless boy urged, pulling it out from underneath the cloth around his neck.

"You wanna give up?" He pondered aloud, wondering how someone could just call it quits so easily.

"We don't have a choice! They got us." He flinched at the tone of the boy's voice, it was so concrete. He truly believed that there was no other way out…except there was. If the Disney movie of Peter Pan was any help Henry knew that there were three things that he needed.

Faith, trust, and pixie dust. Luckily for the both of them, he had all three.

"This is the end."

Looking out at the drop and then back at the boy, he shook his head furiously. This was definitely not the end.

"No it's out way out." Reaching forward he grabbed the small vile and walked back to the edge of the plants. Just before he opened it, he made his intentions clear to his newfound friend. He could almost roll his eyes at the disbelief that was embodied in the boy over his shoulder.

"Don't you remember the dust doesn't work." And maybe that was true, for the cynical boy, because he didn't believe. Pointing out the obviousness and maybe fatal flaw to get pixie dust to work, he could only hold his tongue when he heard the words, "I definitely do not believe."

"That's okay," He said calmly, flicking the lid off. "Because I do."

Then one, two, three steps later he was running, jumping, and then just as he predicted _flying_.

Underneath him, far away with gawking lost boys, was the island full of mischief and instead the full moon was so, so close. Since the first time that he had set foot in this world his face had carved out a full-fledged grin. His heart thumped with excitement, sending nothing but adrenaline and happiness through his veins. The wind crawled under his jacket sleeves and through his hair, making the experience at least ten times better. He wanted to howl out loud to the skies, wanting to hear his voice resonate through the clouds. It probably would have been a very loud and excited woohoo but he was far too mesmerized to even fathom words.

He was flying and he'd never felt more alive.

With little protest he just went on his way, watching the way the trees bundled together pointing straight up as if they were protecting the island from any unwanted company. The water glistened and if it weren't for the fact that it was so far away, he would have reached his fingers down as it whispered to him.

Soon enough he was descending as the boy next to him animatedly pointed at a spot on land.

* * *

At this point she wasn't ever sure if the footsteps behind her were just a hallucination or actually a lost boy or something else that could put her in extreme peril. Assuming the worst seemed to be the best option because on Neverland, anything was possible.

She only feels like a fool for ever believing it was something to be celebrated in a majestic story, she shared to her brothers just before bed time. A pang of sadness from the thought of her brothers cost her a couple of steps since she stumbled. Her hands hit the ground, the dirt damp soil. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her reflection. Sometimes she wished that she would see just the slightest change…but she knew better. That was not how things came about on the land just past the second star to the right.

Not wasting even a millisecond she got back up on her feet. Mud covered some of the skin on her shins but she didn't have the time to just dip into the water and wash it off. The mermaids would come for her or even the lost boys if they heard even the slightest splash. She'd been running from them for such a long time, their thirst for her was probably greater than she could imagine. In fact she could almost see them in her head with watering mouths and deadly eyes. Doing her best to avoid the poisoned thorns, she kept herself hidden. Even though now it was torn up, she still held her white—though that was inaccurate description as well because it had stains all over it—night dress. It was her only connection to the world she had once belonged to.

It was all she had left.

The sound of two voices made her footsteps slow down. Keeping herself in the shadows, she held her breath and poised herself on her toes to see what was going on. She knew that one of the voices was Pan, she'd recognized his anywhere, but the other one was a mystery to her.

"Let's make it a game, a puzzle to solve." Her fingers gripped her dress and she felt a spark of anger run through her. How had he been so distorted in the stories she had grown up with. What had happened to all the childish qualities that he was supposed to possess?

Sure playing games was something that children loved to do, she would know. When she had been a child, there was nothing she loved more. Not to mention Michael and John had taken quite a liking to a few in the past. And maybe Peter had once, but his were more sadistic. She could see it in his eyes…the maniacal expression.

It made her blood run cold.

She closed her eyes and only half listened as the boy, whose face she hadn't seen yet, suddenly sounded worried. Her heart hammered in her chest and she needed to act fast. She needed to help save him.

"But you told Greg and Tamara that magic was bad…you'd help them destroy it, why?" The boy admitted, confusion lining his every word.

"Because I needed their help." Peter answered and instantly her own lips had parted, reciting in something much quieter than a whisper what had once been told to her.

"And it is so much easier to get people to _hate_ something, than to believe."

* * *

His heart was pumping with fear as he looked around the circle of hooded boys with hands full of makeshift weapons. Admittedly there had been a part of him, buried deep down, that was actually enthralled. However the idea of being slaughtered to death by Peter Pan and his Lost Boys wasn't exactly his favored death.

As the circle around him got smaller and smaller he could feel his breaths growing shallower. There was nowhere to run and no one to save him. Sure, his family was coming, he was sure of it. He could _feel _it in the pit of his stomach. He _believed _it wholeheartedly. But he wasn't blind enough to think that they were right behind him. For all he knew, his family could only just now be jumping through a portal to get here.

The first push in the arm made him close his eyes and stumble. Then he was basically a pinball in a pinball machine, because he was being pushed in every different direction. It didn't take long at all for his knees to buckle underneath him, his eyes squeezed shut. He felt rough, prickly ropes constrict around his wrists as they were pulled behind his back.

_So this is what it's like to get arrested…_ He wondered to himself.

They tugged his hair and moved his body however they pleased. Muffled, deep, villainous laughs echoed in his ears. He would do anything to hear his Emma's voice right now in his ear, no matter what the words were he just wanted to hear it. Luckily they weren't punching or kicking him, so there probably wouldn't be any bruises. He was expecting to feel the fiery hot pain from the way he was being stretched a lot longer, yet somehow he was left on the ground after they had heard a thump elsewhere.

Peeking out of only one eye, he looked up to see everyone's head turned to the right of him. His brows furrowed and he had this burning sense of hope that it was his family. They had gotten here a lot faster than he would have expected.

"I told you." He choked out, as he tried to roll onto his side. "My family always finds each other."

"Shut up." One of them called out and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter give them a warning look. All of them inched closer in the direction of where they assumed someone was hiding. Henry held his breath looking but seeing nothing.

"Mom!" He called out, his eyes squinting but he didn't even see the slightest of movements at the edge of the forest. "Mom, I'm right here! Where are you?" He wanted to look up with the sloppy grin on his face and tell the lost boys once again that his family always found each other. But he didn't get the chance. One of them had kicked his head and everything faded out quite fast.

* * *

A small groan left his lips as the world shifted back into focus. He squinted at the bright sun, engulfing the land around him. He felt the soft pillow of dirt underneath his cheek and instantly, he sat back up and rubbed it off his face. It was then when he realized that his hands were no longer bound behind his back. In fact the ropes were cut in half just a couple feet away from his feet. The trees above them reached out their arms and created a small natural canopy for him with their leaves. He didn't have much leeway to stretch unless he wanted to be poked by thorns. Huffing out a deep breath, he heard a deep breath letting him now he had company. At first he froze as he slowly brought his eyes in front of him.

He was met with the presence of what appeared to be a young girl though he wasn't quite sure if she was as young as she looked. With wide green eyes and round dusty cheeks, she looked quite civilized yet rabid at the same time. He rubbed his eyes before taking a better look. There was dirt and mud all over her face and her hair was quite disoriented, though it was pulled back quite elegantly for someone who looked like they had been living in the jungle.

Lowering his eyes, he was quick to notice that her dress was in ruins. The ends looked like they had been ripped by a crocodile and the neckline was torn exposing her collarbones and the tiniest part of skin underneath. He reached up and scratched his head as he asked the most obvious question. "Who are you?" His voice was a bit weary and he wondered if this was a just another game.

She raised her fingers up to her lips, letting him know to speak a little quieter. He nodded and leaned forward, waiting to hear the answer he desired.

"I'm the wild card in the game." She spoke crisply. "I'm Wendy. Wendy Darling."

* * *

**A/N**: The only other thing I have ever written for the Once fandom was Red Hook and I never even published them on here but rather on tumblr. However, I have a really huge liking towards Peter Pan so I had to write this. Basically it's AU where Wendy is an escaped lost girl in Neverland. Lately (and mainly since Robbie posted that picture of him with the actresses of Wendy and Tink) I've had a lot of Pendy feels. So if anyone reads this I hope you like it and please tell me what you think! :3


	2. Chapter 2

THEY CALL HER DARLING  
CHAPTER TWO

* * *

For a moment she just stared at the boy as he looked at her. There was a pierce in the back or her heart as her mind tried to unlock a treasure chest of memories she tried _so _hard not to remember. But the way his brown hair hung in his eyes and the look of pure astonishment but excitement on his face…it reminded her of her youngest brother; and before she could stop it an image scooted in her mind. Him walking across the room in his night clothes, cuddling his teddy bear delicately to his chest.

Looking at him became too much to handle and before she knew it, her eyes drifted away. Her hands knotted together as they were neatly placed in the crease of both of her knees pressed together. It took a moment for her to swallow the large lump in her throat as she willed her eyes to look up at him. This was not the time to think about her losses. She needed to be focused on getting this boy where he belonged; which certainly was not on this island.

"So you're Wendy?" The boy broke the silence, his voice animated even though he was whispering.

"Have you heard of me?" She squinted, her eyebrows pulling together. A flicker of hope stirred within her like a sea twisting before the storm. She had been in Neverland for years...how could anyone, especially a boy she hadn't even known, possibly know who she was?

"Yeah, there are plenty of stories about Peter Pan and Wendy." His words made her flinch, the sound of the most mischievous and ruthless boy she ever knew next to her name was not inviting. Maybe…there might have been a time in which she would have enjoyed it; maybe even let it ring in her head on repeat like a soft lullaby before she'd go to sleep; but not now because their names clashed like a seventh interval on a piano. It sounded beautiful but it was oh so very tragic.

Her lips were carved into a straight line and she had forgotten for a moment that she was running around like some sort of barbarian. Henry's hand on her shoulder and his voice calling her name made her jump back into reality; back into Neverland.

"We should get going." He told her and she nodded. Pressing one hand into the ground, she gathered herself to her feet and then offered a hand to Henry as he stood up behind her.

"Let's go then."

* * *

If there was one thing that Peter Pan did not enjoy it was being outsmarted on his very own game board; especially when he was the _winner_ of it all. As a matter of fact, this never happened. He was always one, two, even three steps ahead but now he seemed to be blinded. This was his kingdom and no one knew it like he did; no one knew every hidden nook and cranny…yet it seemed that maybe someone did.

The worst part was that he hadn't had a clue as to who it could be.

He had been under the impression that he knew everyone who resided on this island. He knew all their deepest darkest secrets and how to get under their skin. Everyone was just a pawn, really. Maybe they could have a defining moment where they capture his queen but he would always get check mate.

"I can't believe this happened." He snapped, sending a glare back to his boys behind him. His footsteps were light against the soil but he felt like he was stomping. His knuckles were curled tightly against his dagger as if it had been glued there and his eyes were searching every inch of the island as he delved further and further into it. He was on full alert and there wasn't even a swing of a leaf from the wind that would go unnoticed. The culprit couldn't be that far. Hell something would make them trip and they would scramble to get up but they wouldn't be fast enough. And when he caught him…_oh _when he caught whoever it may be, he would kill them.

He would make them _pay_.

Anger coursed through his veins because for the first time in his life he felt like he had before he had ever gotten to Neverland. That helpless and hopeless delusion—because it couldn't be a feeling he actually felt when he was filled with so much power—intoxicating the pits of his stomach. He would not be one of the boys behind him. He would not be lost. He was the leader and that's how it always would be.

He was looking at the black inked thorns that oozed out poison, when he saw it. As a matter of a fact he almost would have missed it though he'll never admit that. It stuck out like a sore thumb, angelically white against the lurid substance that led you on a dwindling road towards death's doors. Stretching out his arm, he halted Felix knowing that the blonde would stop the others. Slowly he stepped forward, waving his hand to wipe the thorn clean of the poison.

His eyes narrowed in on the frayed string, spiraling around the branch, holding it as if it were a boa constrictor sucking out someone's last breaths. He reached out, a memory sparking in his mind. One he had sworn away because there were better and newer things to dream of. It was soft in his hand but at the same time he couldn't really feel it against his calloused fingers as he turned back to the lost boys.

"What's that?"

"Don't be stupid," Pan started, taking a couple of thought out steps back into the cleared pathway. His eyes were glued to his fingers, the string turning his finger red and then purple. "It's a hint."

* * *

"So where are we going exactly?" Henry asked with bated breath, as they slowed to a stop. They had been walking for hours; it had to be about noon now. The sun was beating down on them, its rays projecting and embedding its heat underneath their skin. They may have been hidden by the trees and plants that tied together in ruthless knots but there was no escaping the light.

"The echo caves." She told him promptly not really feeling the need to indulge in why. Seeing as he had heard of her, she had a feeling Henry knew what she was talking about. In fact for a boy who had never stumbled upon this place before, he sure seemed quite knowledgeable. So he must have known that even though Peter Pan knew every bit of this island, the echo caves was the one place where they were safe; where they were untraceable.

"We're going to get there before sundown?"

When he posed the next question she couldn't help but think that he was awfully full of them. Licking her lips, her fingers played with the shredded ends of her dress and she took a deep breath. Though she had gotten to Henry quite fast, from the echo caves the journey back wouldn't be as short. It changed every time and though Wendy knew exactly where it was going; she knew that it would least be another full day before they would get there.

"I suppose it just depends on what sundown you're speaking of." She sent him a sparing glance back, dropping something subtly from her hand. She noticed the perk of Henry's brow and her lips parted once more. "I know a place. A friend of mine showed me there it was."

"A friend?" She was a little baffled as to why he sounded so surprised that she had a friend. Had the stories of her and Pan lacked the actual historical accuracy that she had lived through? Her brows pulled together with ease and she looked back straight ahead. For a moment she stayed quiet, thinking of the dark-haired boy and his porcelain skin. A smile and tenderness towards her, that felt like some sort of dream. He had protected her, showed her how to survive and she was left to wonder what happened to him for all of eternity.

"Yes, do your stories not speak of a friend?"

"They only mention of your two brothers, friend-wise." He told her and she stopped in her tracks. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and a deep shaky breath escaped her. A laugh followed suit shortly after, as she reached up and wiped her cheeks. Of course these stories mentioned her brothers…she could only hope that in all of the tales they got the adventure they had both desired with all of their being.

"Well it seems we both have a few stories to share of each other while we keep each other's company." Turning towards Henry, she clasped her friends in front of her being and gave him a soft smile. "Are you sure your stories have never mentioned a Baelfire?"

* * *

He was still looking at his finger, rubbing the piece of string with his thumb as they walked. There had to be something else, he just _knew _that there had to be. His eyes sparkled and his heart raced with excitement because he loved a good chase. This person outsmarted him once but he was about to outsmart them and continue to do so from now through forever.

"We're following a piece of string?" He heard a voice call and Peter honestly felt the need to roll his eyes and clench his jaw.

"I told you it was a hint." He said incredulously. Honestly it couldn't be more obvious. He stopped in his tracks, spinning on one foot he turned to look at them all. His lips upturned in a smirk because he knew that no matter what they'd always follow him. They'd obey him because he controlled them.

The thought tickled him pink, honestly.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, his thumb once again smoothed over the white string. A flash of golden curls, pastel rose colored lips, and sparkling green eyes captures his mind. Its years ago and he stopped—or at least he tried to convince himself that he has stopped—dreaming of _that_ after it ended. Blinking a couple times he regained his definition of a sane mind and looked at the boys.

"You're not following the hint boys. You're following the leader." He swiveled on his foot once again, facing his back towards them. "I don't think we need to go over what happens when you don't follow the leader, now do we?" His brow perked maliciously and he began to walk forward through the jungle.

The silence was a clear enough answer for him.

Placing his dagger back in its rightful slot by his waist, he ran his hand through his hair. His eyes were still searching for a faceless person, though deep down he knew exactly who he was looking for. As much as he wanted to deny it, there was some part of him…that knew the cheater. As he brought his hands back out from underneath the upmost layer of his clothing, he pulled out his reed pipes. He wanted to play a song. A song that he knew everyone on this island would hear, well…people who were _special_; though if you were on Neverland to begin with, you were very, _very_ special.

Softly he held it close to his lips and blew. His eyes closed as he walked, knowing that the lost boys would look for him. Absentmindedly he was playing the first song that he had played for _her_. The first one that she had heard…somewhere inside of him, he wondered if she could hear it now. On the surface he was still in denial.

He was king and this was no place for a queen.

Something pricked his foot and he jumped back just barely, a small gasp leaving his lips. The music stopped abruptly and he looked down, noticing a gaunt object shining in the sunlight. His arm stretched out again and he crept closer to the ground, quickly he picked what felt like a miniscule thorn out of his skin. He spun it around in his fingers, noticing the tip that was stained with his crimson blood.

It was a needle.

The stares that were digging into his skin asked the question no one dared to say out loud.

"Well, well," He started, a playful smile on his face. "It seems the girl who tried to sew on my shadow has returned to Neverland."

* * *

**A/N**: I found out that apparently their ship name is Darling Pan. Though I already used Pendy, so it will stay that way. Anyways, I hope I got Peter down right…and that you guys enjoy this one as much as you seemed to have enjoyed the first. Reviews/comments are love!


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